Electrical Drive Engineering

 

A majority of electrical energy is eventually converted into mechanical energy by electrical drives. Therefore, there is a great demand for research in the field of drive technologies, especially with regard to the energy saving potential. For the development of high precision and efficient drive systems, the following topics are covered in the context of current research issues:

Regarding power electronic drive components, the challenges of integration and signal processing get just the same attention as innovative topologies and the application of wide-bandgap materials. For the dynamic modeling of electrical drive systems, these power electronic components are extended by electromagnetic, thermal and acoustic models as well as the mechanical load system. The level of detail of these models is dependent on the application and the focus of consideration. For the operation of these drive systems, modern control methods with an emphasis on the efficiency, non-linear adaptive techniques, acoustics and thermal overload are being researched. Based on these aspects, application-specific systems are designed, e.g. for multi-drive systems, multiphase systems and high-speed systems with special requirements regarding reliability. When processing these topics, the electrical drives group cooperates closely with the power electronics group and the reliable power electronic systems group.